A so-called medal game that uses a medal as a game medium is a game that starts by a player who purchases or borrows a plurality of medals with a medal lending machine and inputting the medal to a gaming machine such as a roulette gaming machine. When the player wins the game, a predetermined number of medals are paid out to the player. Therefore, the player who gains a large number of medals can enjoy a successive game without purchasing or borrowing new medals.
Particularly with the roulette gaming machine, when the player selects a mark or number (symbols) placed on the roulette wheel, the roulette wheel rotates and a ball rolls on the roulette wheel. When the rotation of the roulette wheel grows weak and the ball is received and retained in any groove in the roulette wheel, it is determined that whether or not the symbol selected by the player matches the symbol in which the ball is received (When matches, the player wins the game.). When it is determined that the ball is received in the same symbol as that selected by the player, medals are paid out to the player at a predetermined multiplication.
Hitherto, the roulette gaming machine has been provided with a ball collection mechanism for collecting the ball from the roulette wheel to re-discharge the ball used in the preceding game onto the roulette wheel. For example, a roulette gaming machine described in JP-A-8-229191 is as follows: Each ball reception portion of a rotating wheel is formed with a ball passage hole and a fixed wheel is formed with a flange for closing the ball passage hole and a notch is formed in a part of the flange. The notch is provided with an opening-closing plate for opening and closing the notch as a solenoid is driven. When the ball is collected, the notch is opened for allowing the ball to drop from the wheel without providing a mechanism for lifting up the rotating will, whereby to miniaturize a bucket.
However, the roulette gaming machine described in the document JP-A-8-229191 requires a complicated mechanism below the roulette wheel for storing the ball collected from the roulette wheel and re-discharge the ball onto the roulette wheel.
Since each ball reception portion requires a moving part such as a shutter for opening and closing the ball passage hole, the cost increases and the fear of aborting the game due to a trouble caused in the moving part is high. Further, maintenance of the apparatus is intricate.
Since each ball reception portion needs to be formed with a ball passage hole, the ball reception portion requires a given or more depth and a part of the ball received in the ball reception portion is buried from the top of the roulette wheel. On the other hand, the roulette wheel needs to be formed with a discharging opening for discharging the collected ball onto the roulette wheel. Therefore, the roulette wheel is needs to have a predetermined or more height. This point will be discussed below as a specific example shown in FIGS. 23 and 24.
FIGS. 23 and 24 are schematic drawings to show a roulette board used with a roulette gaming machine according to a related art. As shown in FIG. 23, a roulette board 200 in the related art is provided with a large number of ball reception portions 202 formed in the circumferential direction of a roulette wheel 201. Each ball reception portion 202 is formed with a ball passage hole 204 for once collecting a ball 203 received in the ball reception portion 202 after a game is over, and further a ball collection section 205 for once storing the ball 203 passing through the ball passage hole 204 is attached to the outside of the ball passage hole 204. On the other hand, a ball discharging opening 207 is formed in a banked passage 206 where the ball 203 draws circular motion. The ball 203 collected through the ball passage hole 204 is once received in the ball collection section 205 and is transported to a ball discharging unit. Then, the ball 203 discharged by the ball discharging unit is discharged into the roulette wheel 201 through the ball discharging opening 207 and rolls on the top of the roulette wheel 201.
Since the ball reception portion 202 needs to be formed with the ball passage hole 204 for transporting the ball 203 to the outside, a height “h1” of the ball reception portion 202 needs to be set higher than the diameter of the ball 203. Further, the banked passage 206 needs to be formed with the ball discharging opening 207 and therefore a height “h2” of the roulette wheel 201 needs to be made equal to or higher than a predetermined value (for example, 143 mm).
Therefore, a viewing angle α for enabling a player 209 playing a game with a gaming machine 208 including the roulette board 200 at the position of a height “H1” to recognize the ball 203 regardless of which ball reception portion 202 the ball 203 is received in narrows as shown in FIG. 24. Thus, the height of the eyepoint of the player 209 needs to be “H2” or more. Specifically, if “H1” is set to about 900 mm and α is set to 50 degrees, “H2” becomes about 1400 mm and it is impossible for an ordinary player 209 to recognize the ball 203 in the roulette wheel 201 unless the player gets up from seat. Particularly, a player 209 with a low eyepoint must not only get up from seal, but also move the stand position to another. Thus, it becomes difficult for the player to recognize the ball, leading to degradation of game play amusement.